Today,
We explore the tinted sunglasses metaphor,
Uncovering how our thoughts act like coloured lenses that shape how we see the world and can influence our actions.
This is part of a body of work called Never Mind Your Mind.
Tinted Sunglasses It's a bit like there's different colour sunglasses for different types of thoughts.
Have you ever looked at the world from your thoughts and it's like looking from yellow tinted sunglasses?
When you do this,
Life seems good.
You notice the day as bright and sunny.
Or you look at the world from some other thoughts,
Like looking from dark grey tinted sunglasses.
When you do this,
Life seems bad.
You notice the sky as dark and gloomy.
But the truth is,
If you take the sunglasses off,
Life is okay.
Now imagine if you got dressed wearing the wrong sunglasses.
You could find yourself pretending it was warm and sunny by wearing beach clothes in the cold rain.
Or you could find yourself in the sun wearing a rain jacket,
Convinced by your thoughts that everywhere was wet and cold.
When we look at the world through the lens of our thoughts,
We believe the world is a certain colour.
Then it's easy for these thoughts to colour our reality and push us around.
We then may act on thoughts like,
I can't do this.
They don't like me.
I'm a failure.
I'm not good enough.
Have you ever gazed out from the I'm not good enough thought and given up before even trying?
The key is to remember that you are wearing sunglasses.
That you are seeing the world through the lens of your thoughts,
Not as the world really is.
What colour are your sunglasses right now?
The key isn't to get rid of these sunglasses,
But to take them off sometimes and take them with us,
Noticing that the thought is there and recognising that it is a lens through which we view the world,
Not the world itself.
Dear Mind,
As I sit in this cafe,
I am writing this letter to you and for me.
I'll admit,
There was a time when I despised you.
Those murky tinted lenses that you offer me,
Full of doom,
Despair,
Frustration,
Paranoia and more.
I felt trapped,
Unable to see beyond the dark colours you painted my world with.
But as I listen to the words within this course,
I am coming to understand something important.
Despising you only kept me stuck,
Fuelling the very negative energy I wished to escape.
It's like clinging to those dark lenses,
Letting them define me and putting more dark lenses on top.
This just doesn't make sense anymore.
The helpful thoughts,
Those bright,
Uplifting lenses that bring joy and clarity,
I acknowledge them and choose to give them energy.
The unhelpful thoughts,
The darker,
Greyer,
Heavier lenses that weigh me down,
I see them too.
But I gently refrain from feeding them,
They serve as a reminder of who I am not.
This awareness empowers me.
This awareness inspires me.
It inspires me to reconnect with the simple things,
The little moments that bring life meaning,
Whether it's spending time with loved ones,
Feeling the warmth of an animal's affection,
Or being in flow with something that nurtures me.
I get to choose where I place my focus.
And I know,
Some days will be better than others,
Some days the tinted glasses may seem harder to take off.
But I also know that this is part of being human,
And I'm learning to accept this with compassion.
Thank you for being there,
For doing what you do.
Thank you for giving me this choice,
The choice to see beyond the lenses you present.
The choice for me to choose my own lens,
One that serves me,
To embrace what matters most and to stay connected with the beauty in this life.
Yours sincerely,
With compassion and gratitude,
From me.
My consciousness is evolving every single time I notice an unhelpful thought and hold it lightly.
May my consciousness continue to evolve.
This appreciation helps me and heals me.
Thoughts act as filters,
They tint what I see,
But I choose the lenses that set myself free.
Thoughts act as filters,
They tint what I see,
But I choose the lenses that set myself free.
Thoughts act as filters,
They tint what I see,
But I choose the lenses that set myself free.
Thoughts act as filters,
They tint what I see,
But I choose the lenses that set myself free.
But I choose the lenses that set myself free.
